Gut Health: Benefits of Oats and Oat Flour
Are you in need of flour and don’t have any in the pantry? If you have old fashioned oats sitting around, you can very easily turn them into flour just by blending them in a Nutribullet, food processor, or blender.
This method actually worked great this week when I came across @nate.eats.world’s matcha energy bites recipe on Instagram, which called for oat flour. Rather than going out and buying a bag, I blended my own on the cheap cheap.
Oats: what’s all the hype about?
Oats (and oat flour) are a fantastic source of dietary fiber. The majority of it being soluble fiber, oats contain beta-glucan, which slows digestion, increases satiety and suppresses appetite. This is why my berry breakfast oats are one of my go-to meals when I know I have a busy morning ahead of me.
So, why is this soluble fiber important?
Beta-glucan has beneficial prebiotic properties, meaning its fermentation in the gut increases variety and prosperity of our healthy gut microbiota, known as probiotics. To better understand the two, just remember that prebiotics are food for probiotics.
Other food sources of prebiotics include onion, garlic, tomatoes, rye, soybean, human’s and cow’s milk, legumes, wheat, honey, asparagus and bananas. Probiotics are most commonly found in fermented foods such as tofu, sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, kombucha, yogurt, tempeh, miso, and sourdough bread. There are some great prebiotic and probiotic supplements out there, but oats are an affordable and delicious food source.
Soluble fiber also helps with bowel regularity by increasing the water content of stool, or creating “bulk”, which prevents constipation and keeps things running smoothly. After consuming oats or oat flour, the soluble fiber present in stool pretty much soaks up water in intestine and creates a mass that is easier to digest. If I notice that my digestion feels a little off schedule, whether I’m going too frequently or not frequently enough, my mind immediately goes to my fiber intake for the day and the week. We are all for healthy guts over here!
Lastly, increased oat intake has been seen to improve symptoms of heart disease and diabetes, such as uncontrolled serum cholesterol and high fasting blood glucose, respectively. Old fashioned oats are whole grains and their high content of soluble fiber binds with excess cholesterol in the small intestine. The bound cholesterol is then excreted in the stool, which prevents it from reaching the bloodstream, liver, and surrounding organs and tissues.
Dietary management can be very beneficial for persons with diabetes who are looking to improve their blood glucose levels. The slowed digestion that results from consuming soluble fiber may improve spikes in blood sugar and insulin production. Studies have shown that adults with type 2 diabetes who increased their daily intake of whole grains, such as oats, saw a decrease in their fasting blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c over time. Hemoglobin A1c, or A1c, is a measurement of the average blood glucose levels over a 3-month period.
So, whether you’re trying to improve your gut health, manage symptoms of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, or just looking to save some money here or there, oats and oat flour are a delicious and versatile option to keep in your kitchen.
Oats
…on oats
…on oats!!
Sources:
Davani-Davari, D., Negahdaripour, M., Karimzadeh, I., Seifan, M., Mohkam, M., Masoumi, S. J., Berenjian, A., & Ghasemi, Y. (2019). Prebiotics: Definition, Types, Sources, Mechanisms, and Clinical Applications. Foods (Basel, Switzerland). 8(3):92. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods8030092
Oats. (2019, November 04). Retrieved August 20, 2020, from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/oats/
